Daybreak in Nightmare
by Aiko Isari
Summary: Frontier AU, rewrite of Consumed by Night. The truth is something shrouded in the dark, meant for the light to rip open and reveal to interpretation. For Minamoto Kouji, being that light is essential. However, does it being necessary make it the best choice? Chapter 3: 06-17-13
1. Chapter 1: Please Set the Stage

_Hahaha... holy crap. It's here. The rewrite is finally here, a day early even. Even if it's just one chapter, I have actually finally gotten back to this. I'm sorry guys; I'm still rather in shock here. This... I didn't think I'd ever get the urge to actually go back to this._

_Anyway, some explanation time (excuses in a way) I got to about chapter 4 and was all raring to go and everything, writing and plotting and all that happy go lucky stuff. Then real life hit and it hit with the inner breakdown of my first computer. I lost a lot of my stuff to that computer. Anyway, by the time I had gotten back to the original story, my writing style had decided to completely alter itself. I hated this fic and had also been going through Pokemon and had begun to hate my writing style there too. Also my plot was rather novice worthy for me and I was like: okay ending this problem right now! _

_So yeah, I kind of pushed this back. And to all of you who have been reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting, I owe all of you a big thanks. You're still interested in this story and if you guys hadn't kept reading it, I wouldn't have come back to it with the ideas and outline I have. So thank you. Thanks so much for reminding me of my roots and what I enjoy the most about writing. There are way too many of you to thank but please know that each of you has a very special place in my heart._

_**WARNING: **This is unbetaed. I've been looking in the beta finder and since there isn't much of a filter, I cannot be sure who is available and who is not. If you are and you would like to look this story over, please let me know as it would be very appreciated.  
_

_All of you, the wait is over! Chapters will definitely be slow, as you can see, since I have quite a few in-progress at the moment. However, I have plans, big plans, and since this is THE year for me, I don't intend to give up! Also, keep an eye on my profile, since FFN doesn't inform you of the altered chapters (as far as I can tell) and for any future important updates and plots! Thanks so much everybody! It's time to destroy the canon!_

_Welcome to the new version of Consumed by Night, now known as simply Daybreak in Nightmare._

* * *

_**Daybreak in Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 1: Please Set the Stage**_

_All of you with your titles, your dances and your droll. All of you with your make up and actions and roles. This stage does not require you any longer. It's time for real actors to take the reins. It is time for the most grotesque of plays. The Red Death once held sway but here is a different game, of power, of fury, and screamed children's names._

He would not falter.

It was simple as that. He would not. He could not. At this moment, the world teetered on a needlepoint and could fall to him as it should, or fall to ruin as it would. He knew it was over no matter which side was taken. Staring at the confident eyes of his friend made it certain in his heart. Nevertheless, even in front of stones and fire, he would not break. Doing so ended all things. His rule had toppled already, his legacy trampled like a scarf. He would not lose his pride. He had not been wrong.

All who stood here knew it.

Still the jeering reigned supreme over even the blessed rulers as he walked to the great crags of absolution. Voices of many and few littered the air foully and his guards did nothing to stop it. They did not betray he knew, but they could do nothing and they were afraid. Knights were nothing without their Lord or Lady. The guards weren't to protect him as it was; they were to protect everyone else. He shook his handcuffs with a lazy smirk, letting his eyes dance maniacally over the crowd with a lick of his lips. He was considered deranged. Perhaps looking the part would be fitting. But… no. It was too much to be asked of him. He had played too many roles over the years. To ask him another, one that was based on rumor and parlor tricks no less, was too great a waste at this point in time. It was too much of a waste of energy to do more than the simplistic.

The moons spun over his head mockingly, accusatory. He did not look up and see them. Why bother? He would look instead at his jailers, his dear, sweet little apprentices. All three were close to tears under those stern expressions. Good, very good. They had learned well, to tell and yet not to tell. He was proud of them and smiled to prove it, smiled to send fear ripping into the hearts of these common ones, common for their multitude, for their understanding, for their _luck. _Behind the three was his friend, his enemy too. And behind him… a crystal, perhaps? Was there something inside of it? Did that matter perhaps?

He spoke with conviction and a smug sort of calm. "You have been judged for the murder of the great warriors who guarded your kingdom. Compared to that your crimes of misuse of the throne, heretic to God's will, and abuse of the people are minor offenses."

"Do I get a retrial?" he asked dispassionately, the boyish voice causing many to start and others to scowl. The angels shook below him. It was amazing what words could do. There was a snort from the other. He was always one easily amused. The old friend continued as if he hadn't spoken at all.

"As such your punishment shall be fitting of a heretic. Due to the power that lurks within you, you will be banished where all trash data belongs: The Dark Area."

"Threatening," he heard his mouth utter contemptuously. Why shouldn't he be? He was going to rot. It was just that simple. They would all decay while he remained trapped here with a decaying soul. Perhaps it suited him to remain in chains. He had been a failure and now would be unable to escape it, to surpass it. Why not make this a literal binding? Why not give them a show?

"Banter will not save you."

_I could save myself. _It was fact. Not even the guards could stop him if he chose to flee. However, that would make him falter. He would not falter. He could not falter. The game must be played to checkmate. "May we end this farce?" he drawled. No one but the guards would feel the trembling in the chains, see the pure icy despair in his eyes covered by the mocking joy directed at these childlike imbeciles. Good. He stepped toward the gaping way and held back a scowl. However far he fell, it would hurt. Perhaps that was fitting: to fall from Heaven… into black.

Smiling, he jumped off the crags, ignoring the chain's drag against his face, avoiding the fact that blood was leaving his shattering body like he was a broken glass. He could hear the voices above calling, calling on power and spirits. Then he closed his eyes and let go. He did not wish to remember. He did not want to even be. If this would be his eternity, let him forget being anything else

_Justice was served as wind sped around him and thunder destroyed his wings. Water enveloped steel bars as the earth and wood made a place for the seal to hide. Fire shattered the body to a shell as ice became a shield of beauty and sorrow. And light and darkness locked the key. So was the seal of the accursed one._

…

Birthdays were an extravagant affair for the Kanbara family. To the birthday boy, it meant freedom from rules. For the parents, it meant more work than they might be able to handle. To Takuya, the older sibling who could apparently _always _do wrong, it meant sitting and sulking was the only thing he could do without _ruining _his mother's hard work or making his brother cry. God he hated the little squirt sometimes. If he wasn't whining, he was stealing the older brunette's stuff and blaming _him _for not sharing. Takuya ruffled his red jacket with a hidden snort. He reached out to steal a strawberry. Shinya didn't even _like _the things.

"No Takuya," his mother called without a backward glance. She returned to her phone call smoothly, as though she had just flicked a piece of dust from her shirt instead of yelled at her own son. Takuya scowled and fixed the cake. This was how it worked. Once you got past the age of six, your parents apparently didn't have to be nice to you when there was a little brother in the room. Because you were the big brother and that clearly meant you could take care of yourself.

_What is her _problem_? _He grumbled mentally. _She didn't make a big deal of _my _last birthday. _Shinya colored obliviously before turning to him and grinning with that smile that made Takuya want to hug or strangle the brat depending on the day of the week. At the moment he was torn, considering the kid was so spoiled the expiration date must have peeled off but it was his birthday so it was perfectly cool. He decided to be nice. He didn't want to face the business end of his mother's spatula again today. "Wazzup Shinya?"

"Onii-chan what do you think Papa got me?" It was an innocent question but the accusation was so obvious it was practically hitting him over the head: _Onii-chan didn't get me anything did he? _

"Probably the Soul Caliber game," Takuya replied carelessly, now sorely tempted to get the game his mom had recommended for the brat and take it back to the store. It wasn't like the kid was that bad at math… oh wait he was. At least Takuya could do that. Maybe he wasn't a computer at it but he could…

Typically his little brother's eyes widened. "Really? You think so?"

"Course," Takuya drawled in a pretend joy. They had had this conversation twenty times in the last _hour._ Either Shinya really needed reassurance or he was as bored as his brother. _Want to eat already…_"You know him." _Gotta be perfect at being a nice guy right? Gotta be just wonderful and nice and a shitty textbook learner…_

Shinya grinned excitedly before looking at Takuya's buzzing phone. "Onii-chan, your friend texted you."

"I noticed. Thanks Shinya." _ I don't have any friends. If I did, would I be sitting here? _He kept that part to himself, along with every other part that dealt with the idea of friends. The soccer club was full of good guys but they weren't friends, which was fine. Takuya could kick the other teams' butts without them. Idly he clicked at the button. "Would you like to start?" As he read those words, a sickening sense of euphoria bubbled in his gut. It was like he had been waiting his whole life to read that message. The words were quiet in his brain, a female voice repeating them with a monotonous sweetness.

_This isn't creepy at all… eh, why not? It's probably a chain letter dooming me to raining kittens or something. _He clicked yes and for a soft moment a pulsing rhythm pounded through him, an odd symbol loosely familiar to a diamond cross reverberating on his screen. "The game to determine your future has begun… okay I'm sure this is a freaking chain letter." His phone vibrated and he bit back a curse. "Shibuya Station? Now?" Without hesitation, he bolted for the door, grabbing his goggled hat and slipping into his shoes without a second thought.

In the back of his mind he would wonder what the hell he was thinking. Right now… it didn't matter. It was a break from boredom that's all. It was probably a joke.

Just like life.

…

Minamoto Kouji sat on the rail of the train and wondered. He pondered why his phone was working now, when during the past three months it had refused to be sensible. He wondered why he had accepted that weird text. Most of all he was wondering why Cupimon was choosing _right now_, in a crowded area, to be squirming around in his bag. He brushed his dark locks back under his bandanna, reaching inside to rest his hand on the cupid's head. "Relax," he ordered quietly, barely moving his lips. The word was not icy, merely a simple warning so the creature didn't get hurt. He couldn't be cold to Cupimon. It wasn't his fault.

"I can't help it Kouji," whined the little Digimon in a hiss. "That message… it's the place we need to go to. We're being called. Finally we're being called! We'll get our answers Kouji! We will!" _We will get the truth!_

Kouji sighed a little. Cupimon was so desperate for clues, so eager to be proven _right, _to know who he really was. He was just the same but years of lying, false hopes, and fights that were really rather pointless had tempered his charge. "I hope so…" He looked at a boy with a red jacket, who was sitting on the train floor, panting.

"That was close…" he gasped before looking at Kouji himself with brilliant brown eyes. Their gazes fought a moment then the other coughed for air and muttered loosely. "Why am I getting so caught up in a stupid chain letter?" The boy laughed a little more as the train rolled to Shibuya station. So he had gotten the message too, like half the train? Wonderful, it gave less evidence to Cupimon finally losing his mind. As the train stopped, Kouji reluctantly rose to his feet, feeling Cupimon's excited movements in his bag. Kouji shifted himself to avoid the other boy, who was still trying to get up. His phone buzzed, mentioning an elevator.

_This certainly is convoluted… _But he had time, a good ten minutes. He knew where the elevators were. He had been to this station so many times to visit a classmate or two. Slowly, the blue-haired male strolled out of the train, idly poking Cupimon in the bag. "Stop fidgeting…" he murmured and it quieted, reluctantly he could tell.

Cupimon was… well Kouji didn't know what he was. The small angelic being wasn't human but he was certainly _nicer _than other humans. (The creature called himself a Digimon, but Kouji had understood that as well as the Pre-Calculus on his father's bookshelf.) He had been with him for years, his close friend and the only one who believed his dreams. He never left, or at the least, never for very long. It was nice, almost like having a sibling…

But no one could replace family. No one.

Kouji heard his cell phone beep and sighed. He understood; he was going. Jeez… this better be quick. He had an important thing to say later today, though Cupimon was against it… His thoughts trailed to silence as he found the elevator. Cupimon started squirming again, agitated. "Time…" the creature whispered in the bag. "Hurry Kouji, _hurry_!"

The blue-haired male shook his head. "I'm not breaking my head open," he told the creature, forcing as much patience as he could muster into his voice, watching the elevator doors click open. Cupimon was a wise creature. It didn't mean he acted that way. As he slipped inside and the doors began to close, a voice shouted to the area at large.

"WAIT! GODDAMN YOU ELEVATOR WHAT'S THE RUSH?"

Kouji blinked and stepped back to one side as the boy from the train shot like a bullet from a gun. He smacked against the wall and Kouji felt Cupimon stifle a giggle. The boy groaned. "Note to self: invest in helmets." He suppressed a snort.

"Or you could just not throw yourself head first everywhere," he offered, going against his own usual indifference. He just couldn't help himself; the guy asked to be sneered at. The brunette gave him a glare and Kouji stared back, unconcerned. Cupimon stopped fidgeting, apparently ready to go on the attack if he had to. Kouji admired the little guy's enthusiasm, but he knew better. If he came out, the truth would be lost. Someone could look at it.

Someone else could think it was a lie.

Minamoto Kouji would rather be stared at for silence than be called a liar. After all, as Cupimon put it: that stain was forever.

…

"_Now. Will you go? Or will you leave?"_

Why him?

Why was it always _him_?

He held his hat desperately over his head. He didn't want to lose it. Yutaka would yell at him more if he lost it. At least if he got bruises, it could look like he stood up for himself. If he lost the hat, he would just cry and cry and then what would happen? He didn't know how to stop crying. He didn't know how to stop the laughing. It wasn't fair; it just wasn't fair!

Why did everyone pick on him?

Himi Tomoki covered his ears in the elevator, trying to drown out the jeers of the other two boys. Teppei and Katsuharu. Did they enjoy this? Would they like it if he did that to them? Would they? No, they would hate it. They would hate it and it would serve them right! Suddenly their hands were pushing him, forcing him out of the no longer freefalling elevator and down steps. He nearly fell.

"Hey s-stop!" he wailed, clutching at locks of brown hair. "What are you doing? St-Stop!" He tried to plant his feet, only to be tripped and knocked over onto the tile. No one noticed. Of course not, they were too busy staring at the train. Nobody bothered to help others when they were hurt, nobody except heroes. These people were _ordinary_; they couldn't be heroes. But he could be and he would be.

Just… not right now. He didn't exactly have any superpowers yet like on TV. Once he got them though, he would be fine, just fine.

"Hey come on, move it!" They were pushing again, forcing him to stumble half-blind through tears and his hat, snot running down his face. It probably wasn't a very pretty picture.

"No! I don't wanna, stop! Let me go home!"

"Shut up you big crybaby!" He couldn't tell them apart anymore. Both of their voices were mean and cold. He hated them both, hating them for their having nothing better to do than hurt him and hurt him. It was almost like Onii-chan… He didn't know why everybody seemed to hate him yet were so nice to him. It was so complicated.

Suddenly his feet stumbled again and he was thrown into the compartment of a train. Before he could run out the door slammed, the laughing faces of the bullies shimmering in the lit up glass. His eyes watered with tears and he began to beat his fists against the door, only for the train to pull away from the station. _No…_ He pushed and pushed at the door… only for the world to move farther away. The tears broke out again.

Himi Tomoki didn't know where he was going… but he already wanted to go home.

…

Takuya coughed for breath for a moment. He had just jumped a train platform leave him alone. "God damn… Soccer does not prepare you for adrenaline train hopping… Then again I nearly got hit by a damn truck…" He really had to stop talking to himself. It didn't do well for his self-esteem. Slowly he pulled himself up and into the train, wheezing going down with his heartbeat. _Don't tell me I'm the only one who picked this train… _That would be awkward. Ending up wherever they were going and being stuck completely lost… yeah that would be _perfect _for the great Kanbara Takuya.

"_Serves him right… of course he's at the bottom."_

"_He's been kicked in the head too many times!"_

"_Right?"_

The brunette opened the door to another carriage, shaking himself out of those thoughts. "Oh good… there are people here." He smiled quickly, putting on the reflexive "nice, laidback" persona that he knew saved his ass on more than one occasion. "Hi there." He waved an olive-green gloved hand. One of the three occupants, a boy in a blue and yellow jumpsuit, scoffed at him and went back to his chocolate bar. Takuya felt his smile twitch but ignored the dislike. It wasn't like it was new, especially from a fata- big boned person. Yeah, keep your thoughts clean if not your clothes. Stupid mom and her soap.

Thankfully the blonde chick, who was pretty damn cute by the way, was much more friendly. "Hi there!" Wow, sweet voiced _and_ cute. Was that an accent he heard? Takuya mentally kicked himself. It was _not _polite to stare… especially at nonexistent breasts. Mothers made behavior so annoying. "I'm Orimoto Izumi. You're…?"

Takuya opened his mouth to answer but the older boy cut him off with a speed that made light seem slow. "I'm Shibayama Junpei! Glad to know ya!"

The Kanbara male twitched unnoticeably and inwardly sighed. _Subtle as an oncoming bus dude. Stop drooling._ "I'm Kanbara Takuya and I'm on this train because I felt like I had to be here." Clenching his fists and speaking with that unwavering determination that all ten-year-olds were rumored to have, it may not have made her eyes sparkle but it brought a brighter smile to her face than before. It was something at least. Hopefully she was smarter than the average blond. He didn't have many at his school, but the couple he knew personally lived up to the stereotype _on purpose_.

Realizing he was spacing out, Takuya forced himself to look at the last occupant of the train car. He was younger than the rest of them, large orange hat obscuring all of his face. His slightly too-large-for-him hands were shaking, trembling with what had to have been sobs. "Hey kid…" He forced himself to quiet his voice. In soccer being quiet was _weird. _However, he had a little brother… and he knew all about bullying. "What is it?"

"I… I didn't…" The words were a whisper choked by vines. "I didn't…" Despite himself, he could feel all three of them paying attention. _"I didn't want to get on!" _

As the unnamed boy screamed, the train began to shudder, throwing them down against the seats. In their pockets, each of their cell phones began to glow.

A woman spoke, her voice accompanied by the strange cross symbol that had flashed on their tiny screens once before. "Welcome to the Digital World."


	2. Chapter 2: The Way Fire Burns

_Sorry for the wait! Thank you MizuKitsune10 for the beta, thank you to my favers, thank you to hitomi95 and Hero for the support. I hope this chapter is as good as, if not better than, the first. Enjoy!_

* * *

_**Daybreak in Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 2: The Way Fire Burns**_

_One once told the tale of the world beginning with fire, a blazing energy that warped earth and flickered in and out of the embrace in time. So his story shall begin, ablaze with fire, wiping away even the ashes of death that await all, but especially the divine._

Few living things in this world could recall the Genesis. None knew of the how or they why nor did it ever become a concern to those who remembered that world at all. This troubled him, displeased him in ways he could not explain. He was a wanderer after all. No one could (or would) get close enough to understand. That was why he stayed by himself after all. It wasn't like blurting the secrets to the world would go all that well.

The angel looked around at the land and tried to recall the city that had once been on these whistling plains. He was not good at recalling pasts that were not his. It was a flaw, and one the young angel believed was mildly universal. He smiled as the wind blew into his face. He would not let it trouble him however. For the moment, he was alive, and his soul was burning brightly. What more could the world ask of him?

Apparently quite a bit.

He was abruptly thrown off his feet by two small bodies, each letting out a cry of dismay as they smacked into his bare chest. "Oww~" they cried together in high-pitched unison. The boy looked down at them slowly as he sat up, his satchel having been knocked to the ground and splayed beside him. These were young, tiny, innocent children who by all appearances should be back at the safety of a town instead of out here.

"Oh my, are you all okay?" This came from a third high-pitched voice, definitely female due to the delicacy with which each word was sounded with. There was the sound of feet, slightly chubby feet to be precise, against the soft grass and dry dirt, and into view came a third creature, young and land-bound, unlike her two companions, who were shaking themselves slowly free of him, dizzy but not harmed too badly. Unlike the boy himself, who could feel the bruises beginning to swell under his wings.

"I've been hurt by worse," he admitted aloud however, carefully letting the other two children clamber free. "Now who are you kids? Why aren't you at home and out in this mess? It could storm at any time you know." He made sure to sound scolding despite the high pitch of his voice. He was permanently stuck sans puberty but he did have some authority… sort of.

The three of them gathered themselves slowly, each of their grins going bigger by the millisecond before they announced to him with undented glee. "We're adventurers~"

…

"What… the hell?"

Takuya didn't even try to control his language this time. He was relatively sure that was the general consensus inside the train cart. The car swerved, throwing them to the ground and rattling their brains. Takuya almost lost his cell phone which was suddenly… not a cell phone. It was a small object easily gripped in one hand, red with a tiny screen and black grips. The odd cross was trembling with the movement of the train, as though urgently trying to inform them of something so deep and unknown words failed it. Yet it continued. "Welcome to the Digital World. This is your Digivice. Please take care of it."

"Gah!" the brunette shouted, falling backwards and ending up with his head slamming roughly against the door. "Ow… my head isn't a soccer ball!" he shouted at no one as the other three continued to scramble. As he looked to see them, his eyes decided now was a good time to activate that good old head trauma induced hallucination. He swore the three of them were these mystical creatures for the span of a few seconds. The image disappeared and Takuya mentally wondered if he had actually blacked out on the elevator and was in the hospital in a coma.

… Well. So much for Shinya's birthday party.

"Let me out of here," the youngest boy wailed as he finally managed to get to his feet, moving with wobbly legs to bang on the doors. "I wanna go home! LET ME OUT!"

"I gotta say kid: I don't think you want me to do that." The gruff voice reverberated all around them, echoing like a grandfather's drawl by the fire. As these words were spoken, the darkness of the tunnel vanished into brilliant sky and only the track remained, smoother and still at the speed which Takuya swore was much more than it likely needed to be. "We ain't exactly over _land _ya know what I mean?" Looking out, Takuya paled. They were over practically _nothing. _How in the hell... you know what? Never mind. Did not want to know.

"Who…" Junpei stuttered. "Who the hell's talking?"

"Me," grumbled the voice, now thoroughly put out. _"_The _train _numbskull. I'm a Trailmon. We talk; all Digimon talk. Better get used to it cause you ain't getting out of this world that easy."

"What do you mean we're not?" Takuya couldn't help but shout. The fact that a train could talk was disturbing. He could handle it, but it would probably have to be seen with a moving mouth. But not being able to get out what was likely going to be a pain in the ass. _Particularly for the kiddo, _he thought sympathetically, watching the still unnamed child sob with sudden defeat, slumping in front of the train door. It was weird; he sure felt a lot more sympathy for this guy than Shinya. Well, he wasn't related to him so…

"You're not," the voice said simply. "Now shut up kids. I'm driving."

"You are _not. _" Takuya heard the blue boy, Junpei, grumble, forcing himself to suppress a snort of agreement. Izumi looked curiously toward the window toward the outside, an outside that was slowly forming a place that reminded the young blonde of Earth. _Well, wherever we are, at least we have the same sky. _But, as she looked farther through the glass, Izumi realized she was not at the very least, in Japan anymore.

Because last she checked, Japan didn't have floating jellyfish.

A group of them actually floated curiously to the window, looking at the humans inside with beady black eyes and curious faces. "Wha… What are those?" she asked them, despite knowing none of them had the answer. No one replied, the nameless boy's sobs struck silent by the amazement of the world.

"Do you think they're edible?" Junpei couldn't help but ask, causing Takuya to groan.

"I hope not." He peered out the window to see what looked like a giant, old-fashioned factory looming in the distance. "Talk about a weird train station… Hold on…" He leaned out again and stared. "Dude! Train or whatever you are! STOP! That place is on fire!"

"_Of course _it's on fire, you stupid human," barked the train, now thoroughly displeased. "It's called the Village of Flame for a reason."

"Who would set a village in middle of fire?" Takuya couldn't help but ask. The unnamed child suddenly paused, almost perking. He looked tentatively out the window, pausing to see something that must have been bizarre, judging by the strange look that sparkled in his eyes when he peered in.

"Uh…uhm… is fire supposed to be green?" There was a wonderfully awkward silence for a few moments, even the train wheels were silent as they rolled ever closer. Crickets chirped inside all of their heads before sheer panic took hold and sent each of them bolting to the other side of the train.

"Hold on tight kids!" barked the train as it picked up speed, knocking them all to the ground. Reflexively Takuya turned to shield the younger boy as the floor decided they were better off faceplanting on it. He swore the pair of them bounced and he allowed himself a wince as his hat-covered head touched wall. "_Ouch…_ are you all right?"

Seafoam green eyes timidly opened to look up at him. "Y-Yeah… I'm fine."

Takuya nodded slowly, pausing for the next tremble that shook the entire car, earning a scream from Izumi. Understandable as she likely had just been attempting to get up. "It's easier if we stay down!"

"Considering we're gonna just fall anyway," Junpei muttered and Takuya inwardly groaned. What was he: the team pessimist?

"Uh… um… I…" The stuttering below him made him glance at the smaller brunette. "Thank you…Takuya-onii-chan." Takuya froze a little, even as the train shouted indecipherable words, maybe curses as the wheels spun perilously against the track, nearly smacking them like a frustrated child's fists against a wall.

"_Lemme play Onii-chan it's my game! Give it!" _Their voices were so close… yet so different. Then again, one was currently getting bopped everywhere and in a place he most certainly _did not _want to be

Jolting from his thoughts, Takuya only managed a nod, bracing himself against the moving floor as the speed abruptly clocked to nothing, forcing him to grab one of the poles and cling for dear life to the other person. He didn't want a concussion… or anything else. He had had enough hits to the head _thank you._

_Geez… wonderful welcoming committee… _He grumbled mentally, wincing at the shaking coming from the younger boy. _I've gotta get him out of here… _"Hey kid," Takuya started quietly. "What's your name?"

The goggleheaded young lad got a bewildered stare for his unusual query. "Tomoki… Himi Tomoki."

Takuya nodded quietly, taking a deep breath and drawing upon what little good he had done his baby brother to speak the next few words. "Tomoki… you want to go home right?" Before the boy could nod, the elder pressed on. "I… I don't know how we're going to get back… and I dunno how long it'll take either. But… I'll find a way to get you there. No matter what, we're gonna get you home. So trust me okay?"

He had no clue why he was saying this. He didn't even know where the words were coming from. But whatever was out there that was making that weird fire… and freaking out the train so much the wheels were almost backpedaling, it could hurt them, hurt all of them. At the very least, he wanted to protect this kid. That was something he could do right, at the very least.

Tomoki opened his mouth to speak but then the carriage gave a great shudder as it halted, the train doors swinging open as though clinging by a thread. The shaking movement threw Takuya and Tomoki out of the train, leaving Junpei and Izumi to slowly pick themselves up.

"Oww…" Takuya hissed, slowly looking up to the sound of thumping by his head and hateful growls. "What's the…"

All rude remarks left his brain at the sight of large, bared fangs snarling at him. The amber eyes piercing him seemed to laugh.

"Well… what have we here?" he growled. He shook his head behind him, toward the great wall of flames behind him. "Perhaps you know… where the Spirit is."

…

"Are you okay Kouji?"

"…Aside from my head… yes Cupimon. Yes I am."

Kouji slowly, shakily, actually, picked himself up from the blue floor, shaking his head dizzily from the various impacts. Right by his head fluttered the little cupid, its nervous expression belied by childish excitement at the wild ride. "Then that was fun right?" he asked the tall boy eagerly, beaming at him now that his eyes were absolutely, positively _sure _his friend was okay. "That was super cool and we're probably never gonna get to do it again right?"

"… Probably," Kouji commented after a moment, not sure whether agreement was the best idea or not. Cupimon pouted at him, soaring to look him over once more. The blue eyes were darting all over with a tiny little, twisted face of dismay etched on the porcelain features. "I'm okay Cupimon."

"Then where'd that thing come from?" The little Digimon pointed a stubby hand at the other's clenched fist. Kouji gave the creature a perplexed raised eyebrow, not even glancing at his free hand.

"Cupimon, you've been in my world for a while. I know you have memory problems but this is a cell phone."

Cupimon scowled, which looked _infinitely _more like a pout. "That is _not _a cell phone Kouji. I dunno much about your human stuff but that's not a cell phone. Look!" Kouji shrugged and followed the advice of his long-time companion to see a strangely shaped white and blue device almost bound to his fingers.

"You have been chosen," the device chimed solemnly, as though the woman behind him were staring at both of them. "Yet you have not."

Kouji stared. "Paradox much?" It merely blinked off the screen, causing the teen to huff. "Gee, thanks."

"Kouji…" Cupimon's whine was from right by his feet. "My head's all dizzy." There was a sudden, slightly loud _smack _as the cupid hit the floor. The teen whirled around to grab him, eyes widening and face slightly pale.

"Cupimon… what the hell's the matter with you?"

…

"So… it's really here?"

The question was spoken with dispassion, or rather, implied the emotion. There wasn't even that in those words. The lips barely twitched as blue eyes took in the destruction around him, smelled the smoke in a caricature of concern. Beside him flapped tiny wings, the creature raising a delicate eyebrow at him. It huffed, crossing stubby arms in its emotive manner. "Do you doubt me?"

The first chortled. "I kind of have to. You nearly ran us into a ditch with a Raremon, as I recall."

"That was a shortcut!" retorted the creature with a pouty scowl. "I don't exactly see _you _finding anything."

"That is because I am not the floating dowsing rod." A huffing snort was the closest thing to an answer he received. "Regardless…" Impassiveness returned to its voice once again. "Maybe you're right this time."

"I'm _always _right in the end."

...

"A… A _what?_"

The creature's snort, almost dripping drool and annoyance onto their faces, was followed by a growl. At first glance it just seemed like a larger than life black dog. But then Takuya caught a glimpse of the large gleaming claws on its paws and the armor shaped like heads. _If this is a Digimon, _the goggle-wearing teen thought hysterically. _And the train is a Digimon… what am I supposed to do here? _This thing could eat him. Hell, he'd be dinner and Tomoki dessert. It leered at him now, licking lips like a gourmet chef.

"I wouldn't lie if I were you, little human." Its rumbling growls were almost like croons, lulling him toward information he didn't have. If it weren't for Tomoki beginning to cry as softly as he dared, he probably would have fallen for it too. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't know."

"Ever hear of passing by?" Takuya heard his mouth spit, inwardly groaning. Damn his cheek. He did thankfully manage to get up, blocking Tomoki from view as best as he could. The little buddy had to just freeze up now, didn't he? _Sta_y _inside, _he prayed to the two still in the… Trailmon. He figured they were obeying, because there were no screams and loud footsteps. That was the last thing he needed. He had no real clue what was going on here, but that large scary monster needed a breath mint… and a Spirit… which something told him to keep the bugger far away from.

The creature smiled softly. "Then I guess I don't need you do I?" For a moment Takuya fell under the delusion that he was going to get them out of this okay. Then he was lifted brutally by the back of his jacket and thrown into the burning metal. Tomoki clung desperately to his arm, likely leaving marks. Over the roar of the emerald blaze he heard the dog howl. "_Infernal Gate!"_

Takuya had no clue what that meant but his natural assumption was that if fell on a train platform you would hit metal, even if it was burning metal. However, instead he met air, Tomoki's scream of fear suddenly in his ear. "Takuya-onii-chan look out!"

It was a bit late for that and his surroundings turned black and green colors with no end in sight and certainly no ground. "Damn it!" he couldn't help but shout helplessly as they fell, Tomoki's sudden silence more terrifying than anything else. _You've got to be kidding me, you've got to be freaking kidding me. I got pulled into a world where almost everything talks by a crazy cell phone lady and now I'm going to die? What the hell is with this? You can't expect me, whoever you are, to go along with this!_

"_Well… this isn't exactly a good first meeting."_

"Wha…" The odd device in his hand, a "Digivice", began to glow softly, thrumming with energy. Takuya almost dropped it as a ray of orange light left it, the disturbingly inverted scape around them beginning to clear. Thankfully, instead of smashing into the concrete that appearing around them, the two of them had landed gently. Tomoki was still oddly quiet, staring past Takuya's hug toward the darkness that was fading around them. "Hey." Takuya shook him, not really minding the silence but hoping he could put the kid down so he could find them a way out of this weird place. A weird vent was glowing a fiery blue nearby but he paid it no mind, worried about the quiet. "Hey Tomoki. Snap out of it."

Tomoki blinked jerkily at him, startled to paying attention once more. "Takuya-onii… behind you!" His shout was followed by a feral snarl, the snarl of that monstrous dog.

"Strange," it sneered. "Digimon can't normally escape that, let alone things like you… are you _sure _you're human?" Takuya put Tomoki down and turned to find a weapon, anything. He ignored the words of his enemy, because quite frankly he didn't want to die. Locating a pipe, he charged reflexively forward, planting the glowing device in his pocket before attempting to smash the hound's face in. The monster instead decided to swing him like a rag doll, throwing him bodily into the fiery vent he had seen only moments before.

Takuya screeched in pure pain, tumbling towards near unconsciousness, his weapon clanging to rest near Tomoki's feet. The little boy began to tremble as the job turned on him. "Do you know where the Spirit is?" it asked him now, deceptively cajoling. Tomoki almost screamed but a part of him silenced this. Instead he dove, survival instinct kicking in to grab the pipe that was twice his height and block the incoming bite from the monster. However, instead it chuckled. "Oh silly child. _Hellfire!" _Tomoki quickly bolted from the oncoming green fireballs, but…

The little boy let out a high-pitched, terrified scream as the emerald blaze licked at his arms and legs. While his feet managed to escape, his arm was not nearly so lucky, the embers licking at the flesh and sending the worst pain the young boy had experienced in his young life shooting up his limb. Tomoki tripped and fell, rolling desperately to put out the agonizing fire. He forgot the monster completely, only wanting the pain to stop, only wanting… _Mama…_

"Tomoki, run!" Izumi cried from where she and Junpei stood, meters above. The girl actually looked prepared to jump off but Junpei's chubby hand on her wrist kept her reluctantly still. The little boy didn't hear; shock and pain numbing him to frozen terror. The monster stepped toward him.

"You first lad," it said in mocking guilt.

Meanwhile Takuya managed to wake back up. Rising to his feet, he glimpsed the scene before him. A scream of primal rage welled up in his chest. You hurt a kid, a kid who hadn't done a thing. The little guy didn't even want to _be_ here. Like hell he was letting the kid down here. "Hey, you bastard! I'm the one you're fighting!" At these words, his Digivice began to burn his pocket, almost in tandem with the monster whose gaze locked on him. His legs almost melted to water but Takuya lifted the device out. Orange light burst behind him, forcing him to turn and see a man standing there, yellow hair and fiery armor glimmering in the blue sheen. It turned to only a profile, sightless with fire making up the inside.

Takuya smiled without thought. He knew what to do now. Holding his Digivice out like a gift, he held the port ready. "Spirit."

"No!" The hellhound roared, abandoning Tomoki to charge Takuya down. The Spirit flickered and entered his Digivice, surrounding the young man with energy seconds later. A ring, silvery-blue and similar to the barcode on boxes, formed around one hand and Takuya turned to the oncoming beast.

"Payback time," he whispered delightedly, raising the scanner to the ring. _"Spirit Evolution." _

The next thing he knew, he was floating in a space of pure energy, reduced to nothing but that. His form was still there but that was quickly being changed. Fire wrapped around him like a warm hug from his mother, a feeling which if he could cry for, Takuya would have done so. Strength ran through it too, like his father's strength.

No, not simply a father's strength, a _protector's _power. This was the fire that would save a kid, that would beat the enemy. This was… the power of…

"Agnimon!"

Sky-colored heat coiled into the ports on his black-gloved hands, fleeing inside to nestle in his body like a snack. The named Agnimon reached out and grabbed the hellhound by the heads on his shoulders. Blue eyes glared ferociously at the hound out of the red-and-orange suit. Planting his oddly toed feet, the man-like Digimon reached back with one fist and punched it in the jaw. _"Burning Salamander!"_ Fiery dragons pursued the animal as it went flying, engulfing it in its own screams for a moment. Agnimon glanced at the semi-conscious, crying child and his gaze softened. He went to scoop him up and leaped to join Junpei and Izumi. Gently, he handed her the limp boy. "Keep him safe." He went to face the monster, letting anger welled up in his chest at the sight of the burned arm. At the moment, the shocked faces of the others were insignificant.

"_Focus your anger,"_ reminded a quiet voice in his mind. It was the one from earlier in the darkness. Perhaps it was from the Digivice. Or maybe it was his insane mind. Whatever the case, this wasn't the time to think about it. But the voice was right. He had to concentrate. The Digimon, _Cerberumon _according to the voice, had picked itself up now as Agnimon landed lightly on the ground below. It took a lot of his self-control not to charge, but he was glad he hadn't seconds later, rolling away from emerald flames.

Cerberumon's calm was gone, replaced with wild, snapping jaws and burning yellow eyes. "The Spirit," he roared in what seemed to be desperation. "Give it to me! That will be ours! _Hellfire_!" Agnimon leaped aside only to meet a pair of forepaws in his face. "_Styx Killer_!" As the claws raked down, Agnimon kicked up, forcing the large appendages aside. He slammed a fist into the hellhound's torso and jumped back. Despite the rush of power running through his veins, the young man was vividly aware that his experience as a fighter was like: nothing. However, that thing's focus wasn't much better, as his attacks spread everywhere on the battlefield, missing him rather widely. _When in doubt, _Takuya thought as he raised his armored arms against the blaze. _Taunt them out._

"No," he heard himself say simply. He even _sounded _different. Considering he was running on instinct, the confident feel wasn't too bad. "Come and take it!"

"You will regret that course of action!" it screamed madly, charging forward. The Cerberumon raised one of its large paws and snarled. _"Styx Killer!" _ Lowering his arms, Agnimon crashed his fists together. Releasing more fiery dragons, he followed with a fist to the monster's neck. The claws raked down on his torso, causing him to let out a shout of pain. Skidding back, Agnimon coughed slightly. The rush of power was winding down incredibly quickly. He had to end this before he _did _end up dead. So… how?

He retreated further, allowing himself a few extra seconds to breathe and observe Cerberumon. It wasn't too badly burned, aside from the few embers licking its fur. However, it must have worn itself out burning everything everywhere. Agnimon kept his face impassive but Takuya was smirking. He had an idea. So this was what happened when he focused his anger. Who'd have thought?

For a few moments they stared each other down, each of their limbs tense for battle. Then Cerberumon howled and charged. Agnimon waited for the flying leap then spun back. "_Salamander Break!_" He kicked it brutally to the side and followed with another punch. _"Fire Darts!" _He finally, finally, sent his opponent's fur ablaze. It screamed and screamed, the horrifying noise making Takuya's blood chill. He had won; he was going to kill this thing.

He was going to kill something.

His Digivice had formed in his hand, waiting, watching as a ring of data, so similar to the one that had wrapped around his own hand, formed around the large monster, it turning to a mere silhouette. Agnimon's arm trembled as he raised it. Could he do this? Could he kill it? Then the sounds of sobbing reached his ears, Tomoki's wails of pain as he tried to stop the burning resounding in his eardrums like a haunting song. His fingers tightened around the device in his hands.

He could do it. "DigiCode, scan." He slashed the device downward, calling the code of the monster into his Digivice. The silhouette faded into a large egg and it flew away.

Pain erupted into his body from all sides and Takuya abruptly hit the ground. The Digivice fell silent in his hand and Takuya couldn't help but glare at it through panting breaths.

He could do it, but there was no way Takuya was planning on liking it.


	3. Chapter 3: The Way Light Shines

_**A/N: **__I finished it. OMG wow... that was... that was just a ride. Long story behind why this took so long, aside from senior crap._

_Thank you Xros Hero, Edhla, and Legendary Biologist for reading and reviewing. Here's hoping the next chapter doesn't take nearly as long. My god. Enjoy!_

_EDIT: Now betaed by MizuKitsune10. Is a godsend, honestly_

* * *

_**Chapter 3: The Way Light Shines**_

_The world was not truly alive until light shone down upon it. In the beginning, the world was in darkness. Then it was blinded by the existence of light itself, God's divine right tearing the night to pieces with stars and holy bodies. For even the cold night of the moon was true. The world began by running away from its fear._

"I must say…" he uttered softly. "You kids really shouldn't be following me."

The angel was tempted to fly and get rid of them, but his conscience wouldn't allow it. They were young and they were silly children. They had dreams too… and there really was no excuse for letting them die out here when a particularly bad storm was on the way. Well, there were none he could think of anyway.

"We know," uttered the chirping voice of the male creature. It was clearly the leader, the one who was so close to the angel's back he could feel every beat of the tiny wings on his back. The other two remained slightly in the back, almost shuffling after on the grass. "You're just… so…"

"Cool?" offered the shy voice of the largest yet meekest one of the trio. The leader glared playfully over.

"I was gonna say that," he mumbled. Out of their vision, the angel smiled. It was rather nostalgic, those cheerful voices with a band of little ones. He had abandoned that long ago. Ah, now don't get too pulled into the nostalgia now…

Then again, he found himself wondering what to do with these children. It would be nice to have someone to talk to.

…

_It's… cold. Wherever he is lying, it is cold and he is surrounded by whispering. The words are just audible and each one makes him tremble from something unknown. It is not fear. Perhaps it is longing. If only he could open his eyes to see for himself._

_Was this right?_

_Right or wrong, it was necessary._

_I was asking about morality, not logic, mutant._

_What is the difference to a hero?_

_Everything._

_Maybe to a singer but not to a warrior. If it was not right to kill, it would not be in our programming to do so._

_This is worse than murder!_

_Only because you question the reality._

_More like because he has a heart._

_He's an idol now, like all of us. We have no need of those._

_It does not change that they exist._

_They are all we have._

_The voices… they are growing quieter, all except for one. One is not whispering, but calling, making his voice heard from right next to his ear. How strange. No one is supposed to be here. No one…_

…

"That's one."

He smiled, looking down at the children below. "One is passion, tearing apart the sky. One is grace, elegant in even rage..."

"Oh for the sake of the Tree, _enough _with the nursery rhyme," groaned the other, tiny wings flying him over to rest himself on the figure's head.

The smile elongated into a smirk. "But it's fun." There was a grumble of irritation before the other dropped briefly out of the air. He ignored this, looking down at the panting Takuya from atop the metal. His eyes narrowed gently. "One against so many, he mused. "This isn't going to be easy after all..." A little chuckle burned at his throat. "Ah well. Be careful now, fireball. Don't burn yourself out before you can blaze." He turned to head away. "Where's the next one?"

"Up your bum is where it is." The creature frowned. "Aren't we gonna heal them?"

The first paused and chuckled. "Don't tell me; you've earned some morality out of this mess so quickly."

"Don't screw around!" it shouted. "We need them alive, as much as it kills me to leave you dorklings capable of breathing!" He flew off towards them and the first sighed.

"Legendary Warriors... I guess they're troublesome no matter what form they're in..."

He turned to leap.

...

Standing up would be really nice right about now.

Unfortunately Takuya somehow could not summon up the strength to do so. He felt like there was a sleeping German Shepherd on top of his back. He dragged a slow, deep breath, grateful he had stopped panting. The Digivice in his hand stopped vibrating, returning to a peaceful silence. He glared at it again before his arms gave out, slumping on the ground like a slug. He groaned. "Note to self," he mumbled. "Don't do that for a while." _Especially not if that weirdo voice comes back... maybe someone got me high... wait a minute, what?_

"Takuya-kun!" Blearily, he turned his head toward a bouncing blob of lilac and yellow. Oh wait, that was Izumi-chan. His mistake. She reached his side just as he managed to sit up again, sitting gratefully enough to breathe deep volumes of air into his lungs. "Are you okay? I couldn't see any blood from there..." Her hands gently examined his arms and when they brushed along his chest, he winced and shied back. She pouted at him. "Here, let me see."

"Look, as much as I like a pretty girl trying to nurse me," the goggle-head began hotly before groaning in pain. He rolled up his shirt and appreciatively grimaced at the bruising decorating his chest. There was also a long, vertical scratch down his torso, which made him wince. "I don't think you can do anything. Thanks anyway." The girl fixed him with a look. It must have been universal with women because his mother had given him one similar. Takuya, in his exhaustion, decided to declare it the "men-are-idiots" expression.

Izumi lifted an eyebrow and pierced him with one green eye before shaking her head. "You are the insufferable type aren't you?" she scoffed. Her arms crossed over her chest as she rose back up to her feet. Takuya snorted, slowly pushing himself onto his knees. "Stop that! You're bleeding... oh jeez. There you go." The scratch, though thin, was still oozing a slow red. "Well, don't just stand there! Put pressure on it!"

"You do it if you're so darn smart!" he retorted, placing his hands over the scratch. Then he yelped. "What the hell?"

Izumi resisted the urge to hit him. _This _was the guy who had beaten that weird giant dog? _Just another kid... _she thought bitterly. How annoying. "Stay still!"

"Go help Tomoki, would ya?" Takuya barked. "Leave a guy to his pride! His leg was on _fire!_" She flinched and he hesitated, realizing what words had just come out of his mouth. "He's..." Takuya hesitated. "He's gonna be okay... right?" Of course he would be, he had to be. If not, how would they be able to explain it when he came back?

"...Quite." Izumi whipped around, blond waves nearly slapping her in the face. The brunette winced and followed her eyes, looking to see a tall, calm-looking young man. His dark hair rolled out over his scarlet turtleneck. The casual smirk almost split the other's face in two, his grin so jester-like and warm. "Yes, he will be quite all right," continued the nameless boy. "My friend is taking care of him right now. You will be fine too, so just wait a moment."

Takuya trained hot eyes of doubt on the standing teen. "And I should believe you because why?"

The other shrugged. "You don't have to believe me. I'm going to do this whether you want me to or not." He laughed. "I'm a bit too fickle to listen to the words of people like you two."

"What is that supposed to mean?" the two of them shouted. The other only laughed and turned away, black locks rippling in the air. A white creature, almost human but for the tiny wings on his back and horn on his head, hovered over to them. It looked down at Takuya, golden eyes full of disdain. "This is the other one Cupimon. Come on, we need to keep moving."

The creature glared at him with enough force to crack earth. "Stop being such a nag. You fleshbags aren't gonna burst if you cool your heels a minute." Cupimon turned back to Takuya and Izumi who reflexively cringed. "Oi, cool your heels too, girly. You'd think you'd never seen a fairy before."

"U-Until today, we hadn't even seen _Digimon_ before," she managed to fire back, glowering at the glowing ring above his horn.

The cupid frowned. "Well, what the hell's the matter with you then?" He rolled his eyes. "Don't answer that. _Angel Ring!" _ The golden light floated over Takuya's injury and vanished, forming a long line of what looked like a bar code. Takuya made to scramble back and received a glare. "Calm down ya idjit or it _will_ hurt you." Grumbling, the brunette obeyed and watched the energy slowly fade, closing up the hole in his skin. "You're welcome, you little bastard." He floated away. "You're welcome." Izumi looked to see the boy was smiling again. He sighed gently, waving a loose hand in farewell.

"Wait," she called, helping Takuya sit up again. "Who are you?"

"Live long enough," he answered. "And I'll tell you."

Takuya stood. "Hey wait a- oh never mind." Looking down, he felt a bit of relief. Not a twinge of pain in any way. Hopefully the same thing happened to-

"Takuya-onii-chan~! Izumi-san!"

Ah, there was the lovable, little twerp. Takuya let out a grunt as the smaller boy leaped practically into his chest. His sea-green eyes glowed as he looked at Takuya. "You okay kid?" His arm certainly wasn't on fire anymore, which was a good thing at least.

Tomoki managed the brightest little grin as he leaped back down, hands securing his hat firmly back on his head. "Yep! I'm just great! But… Takuya-onii-chan…" He paused before grinning excitedly. "That was SO COOL! You beat him! You really beat him!"

"Well, of _course_ he did," grumbled a voice from behind them. "He's a Legendary Warrior. It's only natural, you know." The words were a bit smug, and coming from a small white creature with a bigger head than its ears, that said _quite _a lot.

Takuya scratched his head, straining his head to see the weird white thing, or... Digimon, probably. "I'm a what?" The creature sighed, a how-many-idiots-did-he-deal-with-a-day kind of sigh.

"A Legendary Warrior, a reincarnation of a powerful Digimon! You have its power within you! You have a Spirit!"

Takuya gave him a look. "You're crazy, you know that, right?"

...

Kouji glared at the train as he left it, carefully carrying Cupimon in his arms. He didn't care about the fact that he had made it through that crazy ass train ride. Cupimon was having a bloody seizure.

Or at least he had been.

"Kou-jee~" whined the little cupid. "I'm okay, now. I just hurt a little."

Kouji shook his head, blue ponytail swishing by his back. "It's not like you do that on a daily basis, Cupimon," he said, his quiet voice as calm as he could keep it. He kept the rest of his words unspoken, settling for patting the cupid's horn. The little Digimon felt silent, blue eyes filling with guilt.

"I'm sorry..."

"Just... try not to do it again, okay?"

"... I'll try." Kouji let him go, hands slowly dropping to let his friend flutter tiny wings. "This is the place," the Cupimon added. "This is the old place."

Kouji shook his head. He never really understood the little guy when he spoke like that. "Is that so?" He kept his voice as neutral as he could, frown unchanging. "Is that a good thing?"

"Course it is Kouji! The truth is ours now!"

He chuckled. "If you say so."

Kouji would never believe it to be that easy.

….

"So... if we go back on this train, we can go home."

"I would assume so. Also, be polite, that is a Trailmon."

"...I'm hearing about politeness from an elf who hits people with books."

Takuya dodged the half-hearted swat near his leg and glanced at Tomoki. "Well, come on kid," he encouraged. "Ya wanna go home, doncha?"

The boy hesitated, tugging at his orange hat with a nervous grin. "I... I dunno, Takuya-onii-chan. If I go back... then I won't be able to be a hero."

Takuya could only sputter for a moment before Junpei, in his own mildly irritated way, retorted. "Kid, you can be a hero in plenty of other ways than getting all burned up like that. Come on, we'll go back together and I'll show you some cool tricks, all right?" Izumi nodded slowly. She wasn't going back, there was nothing really for her there... but Tomoki-kun needed to, after all that.

The boy looked at them, at their distant expressions, and shook his head. His face screwed up like he was about to cry and then he glowered at each of them, sea-green gaze burning with mistrust. "I won't!" And, as if to prove it, he bolted away from the train station. Takuya ran after him, shaking his head irritably.

"And here I thought the squirt wasn't like Shinya... you're still my responsibility, damn it! Tomoki!"

"No!"

"Are you like this with _everything_ you don't like?" Tomoki stopped at that and looked at Takuya. His eyes filled with hurt and tears. Takuya almost considered taking it back, but a part of him held his ground. Was it the fire in his chest? Whatever it was, it was stern, disappointed with Tomoki. Tomoki was being fickle, whiny, malleable. That wasn't Tomoki. That wasn't what he was supposed to be.

Wait... _what?_

Takuya froze in his tracks, trying to process his own thoughts. What the hell was that odd thought? The guy was a _kid_, not some soldier for war! Yet... yet he had killed someone. The fire had raged in a cool, protective manner. It held him like a child. That was _fire, _his fire. And Tomoki... Tomoki had a "Digivice". So... could Tomoki do something like that?

Should he?

While Takuya figured this out, the little boy had fled off the metal of the station into the fringes of forest, rustling bushes. He scowled. "Damn it, Tomoki! Get back here!"

"No!" Even though his voice grew fainter, his words grew stronger. "I can do this by myself!"

Takuya scowled. "I'm not letting you die because of a temper tantrum!"

"Shut up!"

Oh, he was going to _smack_ that kid. Enough people in Takuya's life had told him to shut up and none of them got away with it. Not Shinya, not Mom, and certainly not one more scared little kid.

He would drag the little bugger back by his toenails if he had to. He had promised.

Promises, promises.

….

It probably wasn't a good idea to swing a heavy piece of metal around like this.

However, Kouji always considered self-defense a very good idea. So that won out over general common sense. So he swung the crowbar with one arm, making sure to avoid Cupimon's concerned orbiting over his head. "What are you looking for?"

"My trouble senses are tingling," announced the little guy, twirling around and around. "Digimon trouble." The little Digimon paused. "Well, I guess, since we are where we are, it would be Digital trouble." He giggled.

"Cupimon, are you _sure_ that there wasn't brain damage earlier?"

The cupid frowned at him. "I'm pretty positive. I've had worse." He tilted his head. "At least, I think I must have. Cause I do remember stuff hurting before for some reason..."

Kouji sighed. "The things I do to keep you happy..."

"But I haven't had any cake today!" Kouji silently swatted Cupimon down with his free hand, ignoring his whining with a practice born by almost seven years of experience. He started walking again, treading through the brush.

If this was the place that Cupimon said would get them their answers, it was doing a darn good job of hiding them from view. He knew it wouldn't be easy but this was pretty ridiculous. It was more like a video game...

"Heh... Help!"

Complete with incompetent NPCs.

"Kouji, you should go help that person, you have a crowbar."

And Cupimon was like that irritating fairy you couldn't get rid of. Kouji sighed and did as he was bid. He would probably get an item out of this. "At least you aren't telling me to press A..."

"There's no A to press, Kouji!"

There was a reason to keep Cupimon around, wasn't there? He had to remember.

Another scream echoed and he sighed, picking up his pace. Cool it, cool it, he would be getting there... He reached the clearing and looked to see a little boy cowering under the scrutiny of a masked man with a blue bear on his back. Well, it appeared to be a man. This place did have creatures like Cupimon after all. Then again, it had blue skin and claws at its feet. So much for something human.

The small child saw him and stared, looking terribly frightened. Kouji's eye twitched. He screamed loud enough for half the area to hear. _Someone _had to come running. He took a step forward and the man turned. Red eyes appraised him and Kouji shifted, moving Cupimon to float behind him. He knew those eyes. They were a swordsman's eyes.

He smirked. Under the mask, he swore the man smirked back. "Minamoto Kouji," he greeted, raising his make shift weapon and moving it to rest in a fighting position.

His opponent turned to face him, revealing guarded hands with wooden blades. "Yaksamon," he replied with a swish of red hair and a casual voice. "Are you defending this little whelp?"

"I'm facing an interesting opponent." And with that, he lunged, stepping to the side from a thrust towards his chest and blocking the other with his crowbar. "Run, kid, before you tick him off even more!" The boy's eyes flickered, glowing with irritation and understanding in the same look. Little brother syndrome, he decided as he swung down again with both hands, slamming metal into the wooden guards. "Move."

This time the boy did run, moving over to where Cupimon was shyly hovering. The little creature was glaring with one eyes, something that Kouji found remarkably comforting from the little idiot as he tilted his head to the right to avoid a slash. At least they were wood. He _might _not die. Then again, with the way he was swinging those things...

Kouji ducked below a swipe; stabbing the crowbar into Yaksamon's chest. Yaksamon jumped to avoid it but Kouji followed, slicing with the rusted end at one leg. It gave and blood squirted to the ground. Kouji glanced at his weapon for only a moment before he found himself knocked into the air by a single, sharp stab. Desperate, he grabbed hold of the offending weapon and tugged. Yaksamon laughed, even as the crowbar hit the ground behind him. He swung Kouji around and threw him to the ground. He grimaced, but did not let go. His blue eyes tried to burn hole into the mask as Tomoki started to creep forward. Cupimon fluttered where he had been put, nervously watching the boy move.

"I have to admire your spirit for that move, human," the swordsman said quietly, kneeling towards the boy's head. "Not many people take the position to try it.

The boy coughed. "I'm a creative cheater," he replied, still clinging tightly.

"It's a shame I _kill _all of my opponents," Yaksamon said with a contemplating edge to his oddly polite voice. "You could make a good rematch... if you weren't human." He raised his spare blade, and it began to glow. Tomoki continued to creep forward, wrapping both hands around the crowbar. Kouji saw this and his eyes widened. Yaksamon turned... only for the crowbar to smash into his mask. He let out a strangled noise of pain as Tomoki darted away, still clutching the makeshift weapon in sweaty palms.

Kouji yanked the wooden blade from one loose hand and swung it towards the neck. It let out a snarl and Kouji rolled out of the way of a piercing stab. He made a shooing gesture toward the kid, who nodded, bolting off so fast he could have been a rabbit. Then Cupimon let out a shout. "Kouji!" Kouji rolled away from a strike that cracked the ground.

Yaksamon smiled, or he must have through the white, dinged mask. "Not bad..." he hissed. "Not bad, trickster. We're got a fighter here... let's see how long you last!" He lunged forward and Kouji held the blade in both hands to block.

Then he was flying again, bouncing roughly out of the clearing and into the trees. He quickly got on one knee as the sound of rustling leaves warned him of a downward slice. He blocked but hit the ground flat on his back again. Kouji pushed forward, just enough to kick both feet up and smack into the mask. With that, the human bolted again, grinning with anxiety. His heart thumped loudly in his chest, blood screaming in his ears. He couldn't escape, not from a swordsman like this. The kid could, and that was enough.

"_There's nothing like a fight for what is right."_

Kouji smiled, even though it wasn't his thought. Indeed, there was.

Yaksamon was suddenly in front of him, lifting him by his shirt collar and carrying him like little more than a doll. "Trickery for trickery," he said mockingly, boring his eyes into Kouji's. _"Puppetry Technique!" _Kouji froze, his weapon slipping from his hands. "Walk," whispered the Digimon.

So he did. He struggled and swerved as best he could, but his legs ambled forward regardless. Even when he tripped, he rose again. It... it was... humiliation at its worst.

He was certainly glad Cupimon wasn't here to see it or to try and heal it as he had healed all of his bruises as a child. Kouji knew that would be more embarrassing than anything else.

Was he actually going to die here? Before he had his answers? Before he could show everyone that he was _right_?

"_Justice undone is not truly justice, only a pipe dream. Make it justice. Make it right."_

His feet stumbled on concrete and Kouji growled, shifting to try and just move his arm to the right, to the device in his pocket. It had been silent and still until now. It was beginning to burn, burn with energy and power and... light.

"_Call me."_

Somehow, as he was led towards a hole, he found his muscles relaxing, his expression becoming a smile. "Spirit." he whispered.

The world grew blinding.

In that light, he saw clearly, the vision of a wolf. Of man. The device-the Digivice- in his pocket glowed and floated to one of his hands and he held it out, held it toward the brilliant glow that he wanted to selfishly take into himself.

"_Become justice," _the wolf-man said sternly, red eyes shining into his. _"Become power. Become me."_

Kouji felt the lead in his body melt away and numbly, he nodded. "Spirit... Evolution."

The wolf began to howl.

…

"This way!"

"Tomoki, slow down!"

"He could die, Takuya-onii-chan! All he had was a stick!"

Funny how the kid could be so quick to run back to them the second trouble hit. Takuya couldn't quite blame him for this one though. Whoever the guy had met was probably nuts, facing off a swordsman Digimon like that. With nothing but a crowbar too! And he thought shoving the pipe into the helldog's mouth was cool.

In the clearing sat that weirdo creature that other guy had had with him, the fairy thing. This one, however, didn't seem to know them. It floated up to look at them with big blue eyes.

"Who are you? Are you gonna help Kouji? He's fighting Digital bad things right now because of him?" A stubby finger pointed at Tomoki, who flushed. "You helped though", added the creature like it hadn't said a rude thing its whole life. "Are you gonna help too?"

Takuya glanced at Tomoki, who only blinked owlishly. "Uh... I'll give it a whirl, I guess."

"Then stop flutterin' and start walking!"

…

"Licht Sieger!" He swung down with blades of light, to be blocked by blades of wood.

The insanity hurt.

Not as much as having limbs about the length of his human legs with cannons on the arms but that wasn't important. What was was that he wasn't human now, and suddenly, this was a _hell _of a lot easier.

Slice, stab. Dodge. Get hit in the chest. Pretty standard last ditch effort sword fight. Or something. He was too excited to truly care, despite the fact that he wasn't shouting like a maniacal chicken. Yaksamon wasn't speaking either.

Good. Wolfmon was not one to talk a lot. He was one to kill.

And kill he would. Because they had been clashing back and forth for about ten minutes and it bloody hurt. His armor was chinked in a couple places. _So much for bokken being weak._

There was a snort in his head, and Wolfmon-Kouji- ignored it. It wasn't important.

Yaksamon raised both wooden blades and they glowed green. Wolfmon moved. Best timing, the little bastard.

"_Zwei Sieger!"_ His swords connected and he spun them together, blocking a vertical slash. Then he swung forward.

Yaksamon sighed and a green shockwave slammed into Wolfmon's chest. Wolfmon stumbled and almost fell back. "Did you really think I wouldn't be prepared for that?"

"I did think you wouldn't expect this." And he pointed an arm cannon. "Licht Kugel!" The laser burst, smashing into the swordsman's face. That place was just not getting a good deal today. Wolfmon sliced downward with his sword, striking over the sounds of screams and something... something else.

Did death have a voice.

Then Yaksamon's body faded to darkness, until there was nothing more than a swirl of code around his form.

Wolfmon didn't think twice. Yaksamon killed his opponents. As a fellow warrior, it was only right to offer him the same courtesy. "DigiCode, scan." His Digivice hummed to life and obeyed.

Then the room spiraled around him and Kouji fell forward, everything going black.


End file.
